Health Officials Warning Of Spike In Flu Cases In California

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California health officials are warning about a noticeable spike in the number of flu cases in the state.

Three strains of the flu are spreading, including H1N1, but all three are covered by the flu shot this year.

Dr. Wali Danesh has seen double the number of patients come to the El Dorado Hill clinic he works at, and many of them come with flu symptoms.

Of all his patients who have tested positive for the flu, none of them got the shot.

"It's never too late the flu vaccine," he said.

Dr. Olivia Kasirye with the Sacramento County Division of Public Health says it's not just the usual people getting the flu—hospitals in the area are reporting healthy people are also getting the virus. The department suspects it might be because of H1N1.

"We are thinking that that might be it, because when we first got the H1N1 in 2009, that's when we first saw otherwise healthy people coming down with severe flu," she said.